The WGR will be loosely based on the Windsor Hantsport Railway, a 56 mile railway operating in Nova Scotia, Canada between Windsor Junction and New Minas with a spur at Windsor serving two gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua. The WHR’s primary commodities include gypsum, rock, grain, vegetable oil and lumber. The majority of WHR traffic originates at the two gypsum quarries on the spur running east of Windsor, whereby the gypsum is hauled by unit trains to the port at Hantsport. I was smitten with this railway while visiting family in Nova Scotia and as it is a fairly small operation, it lends itself well to my desires.
Over the course of the last few months I’ve been able to develop a trackplan that should lend itself to my current needs, and while by no means a realistic condensation of this prototype, I believe it effectively captures many of the features indicative of the shortline, embodying the essence of the railway as a whole. (Anyone who is interested more information should bend the ear of our maritime members – Siderod in particular - who can’t turn around without running into the WHR)
With that, I’ve set out a modest set of goals which I aspire to obtain. Some remedial, others more involved. For the most part all of these guidelines have been set in an effort to become a better modeler, and to broaden my scope of the hobby.
Benchwork
I have every intention of building 95% of this layout using extruded foam – benchwork included. With the exception of support stringers my hopes are to demonstrate that a excellent base can be constructed almost entirely of the pink stuff. I like woodworking, I have lots of tools, but I think that some stray away from constructing ‘custom’ baseboards as the woodworking component is too daunting. I think this tends to limit modelers to settle with doors, sheets of plywood or DIY shelving for their base, and I’d be happy to prove that a anything is possible with the right materials. (Let’s see if this one comes back to haunt me!)
Track
I’m excited about trying Atlas’ code 55 series, and I’ve already placed my order. The NES used the standard code 80 track common at most hobby shops as well as some Peco switches I had on hand. I’ve been happy with the results of these items, and wouldn’t want to discourage anyone from using them, but I’m now ready to try something finer. As well, my trackside scenery treatments were a little cavalier on the NES – I picked a ballast colour I liked and went with it. However, looking down the lines of all the railway crossings in my local area, I’m starting to appreciate that modeling track is like anything else and is aided by reference the real thing.
Scenery
I’m not a rivet counter, but I would like to become more of a ‘daisy counter’. Scenery is the most enjoyable aspect of this hobby for me, and I’d like to improve upon the results of the NES. I’ve spent a good deal of time looking over the work of modelers such Pelle Soeberg and Josef Brandl, and once of the most striking differences I’ve noted is how they accurately model the things that aren’t trains. Proper elevations on roads, believable lot sizes for residential areas, drainage etc. – details that I considered only as an afterthought. Likewise, I need to teach myself to look at scenery ‘prototypes’ more, be that my backyard, or aerial photos of different railways. I’ve got a good deal of art school training under my belt and one of the first things you learn is that you need to ‘look and see’. I’ve ignored this advice and have been happy to work from memory – a memory that remembers things as a whole, not the details. What colour was the ballast? What shape is a maple tree? A few moments of reference for these and other questions will undoubtedly improve my modeling efforts.
Structures
Scratchbuilding is a wonderful hobby within a hobby, and I’m quite taken by it. Every structure on the WGR will be scratchbuilt – I enjoy the practice and it allows me to enjoy the hobby with but a small toolbox and the kitchen table – a nice reprieve from the basement dwelling that is too often the life of a modeler.
Motive Power and rolling stock
I optimistic that this endeavor will allow me to casually learn more about the subject of all layouts – trains! I’m admittedly ignorant with all things on wheels and I think basic investigations about the engines and cars of the WHR will help expand a very narrow knowledge base. I’m not looking to get a degree in engines, but just a better understanding of the history and uses of motive power. Likewise, I’m working up the nerve to scratchbuild an RS23 – the past engine of choice on the WHR. I’d also like to actually try detailing some equipment, weathering it at the very least!
Overall
I’d like this next project to be a sum of its parts. I’d like to create a pike that is effective overall. If a casual survey of the pike is pleasing then the project has been successful. I dislike sore thumbs, and they catch my eye all the time. I’m striving for unity – a homogenous relationship between all elements that make up a railroad. If close inspection finds a flaw, that’s okay – it’s the first impression I’m interested in – besides, if I take the time to ensure that the railroad works as a whole, I will be satisfied.
So what of the NES? I still have one little lighting project I’d like to attempt, and then I will wrap the entire thing in plastic and store it safely. I have no intention on cannibalizing the layout, as I want to start new. I also have no intention of trashing the layout as I’ve invested a good deal of time in it and I want to keep it until the next project comes along.
So there we have it, a rather long winded introduction to the WGR – now that it’s in print and pubic I have no choice but to stick by my words… Oh mercy…
Looking forward to seeing this realized
Michael,
This is a very nice introduction to what looks to be a nice layout. I can relate to your thinking about scenery and pushing your modelling skills. I agree it is the details that we don't normally think about that make a scene look "right". If your recent efforts are any indication, this will be a great project to follow- thanks for sharing.
ScottL
Can't wait to see the updates
Well written! I, too, look
Well written! I, too, look forward to watching your progress. I grew up in the area of the Windsor & Hantsport Railway, only it was called the DAR (aka CP) back then. I'll be watching for familiar scenes of home. :)
I like your comment about being a "daisy counter". That scenery is a make or break item for me. I have found that I am looking differently as the surrounding countryside now that I've started train modeling. We're terrain artists.
Keep up the good work. :-)
-mike
Great Progress
Your progress is impressive, and your ambition seems boundless! I very much enjoyed this presentation, and look forward to your future results. I really like your new layout plan a lot; I just wonder if you really want to partition it. It seems like the overall look of it suggests a beautiful landscape, one that I personally would like to be able to look over all at once. I would be interested to know the dimensions- usually I associate partitions with smaller layouts. Of course, in the end it's a matter of individual preference. Your track plan is one of the most appealling new plans I've seen in quite a while.
As to motive power, all I can say is it's usually a matter of the time period you're modeling, and the type of railroad it is. There are lots of books and internet sources for that type of information, and you seem pretty well zeroed in on a particular railroad. I guess you'll just narrow the choice down to the time frame you prefer.
Keep us posted!
I'm not ambitious - I have small children...
I'm not sure if the partition will stay - depends on how well I can hide the tail of the wye. I'll be able to eek out those details once the the track is down and I can survey my follies. As for the plan: 34"x76".
Thanks (all)!
More Questions
Hope you don't mind a few more questions.
Two or three levels?
What did you use to make those great drawings?
Is the wye going to go into a tunnel and connect to your mainline as it seems to, or would you simply end it with a track bumper?
About the wye
Two or three levels?
1 level with a bit of hidden staging - so perhaps 2 levels?
What did you use to make those great drawings?
The logo was created in Adobe Illustrator. As for the trackplans, the drawings are first drafted in Adobe Illustrator and then colourised in Adobe Photoshop.
Is the wye going to go into a tunnel and connect to your mainline as it seems to, or would you simply end it with a track bumper?
This is where the question of the scenic divider comes in. The bottom tail of the wye is to connect to a simple bit of staging below grade. If I can manage to have the track duck behind the crest of a hill and descend to staging I will do so, if I can't make that work, the combination of the scenic divider and highway will be used to conceal the tracks.
Michael, Trees work real
Michael,
Trees work real well to hide real trains and track. You have trees in the area of the wye's decent maybe this could hide an otherwise visible train and track that is disappearing under the surface.
Nice design work,
Charles
How did I miss this one?
Nicely presented!
Well written and straightforward. I have been following the progress of the NES for some time now and I look forward to following the WG as it goes from vision to reality.
Selfishly, I look forward to learning a lot more about this hobby of ours. I have already taken so much more from Michael than I have given back in the realm of scenery ideas and scratchbuilding. I also have learned to be more observant of the landscape around me. I always thought tree trunks were brown...thanks to Michael, I now see that they are really gray. It might sound like a small detail to some, but it makes a huge difference where they eye is concerned. Brown model tree trunks never looked quite right to me, but I never knew why. In this sense, the comments about the color of the ballast will take the WG from "looking like a model" to actually BEING a model of the real thing.
As for the partition, I rather like the idea as it offers a chance to go from one locality to another without the burden of several scale miles of track. In the case of the NES, it changes the season. How clever!
Lastly, I like the idea of less being more. So many model railroads try to cram so much trackage into every available square inch of table top that they make it seem like all the worlds a freight yard! In reality, most lines run a lonely route, out of the way of autos and pedestrians, through the woods and off to the horizon. I can see that developing here.
Keep us updated Michael.
Al
How did I miss this earlier?
Michael, a truly excellent introduction to your new layout! You have laid everything out in a clear and concise manner and you can always refer back to it once you get going (avoiding the tendency to go off at tangents
)!
I remember when you posted your plan earlier and the conversation it generated. I, like others, am really looking forward to "watching" you progress as you move forward!
Bryan C
Great plan
I'm looking forward to
I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. I'm sure your work will help others, just as your other layout(s) did.
Grades?
Like climbing a mountain...
Short answer - no... All of the grades are hidden (mostly) so I decided to trade grade for footprint. The last little layout had a 4% grade (shock and awe) and while steep, small consists ran fine. I consider this layout small, so I don't mind the tighter radii and steep grades - so long as they're not visable.
I'm working on transferring the trackplan to the baseboard as I write this. I'll have a better sense of things soon. The only visable grade is about 1%.
The layout is a bit of a rabbit warren...
Makes sense. My grades
Makes sense. My grades are all out and exposed, and 2 GP30s with 30 coals cars struggle on a 2% grade. If you have an engine or two with just a few cars it ought to be fine.
Rabbit warren indeed! Make sure you have enough space for a forearm retrieval too. I have somewhat muscular forearms and it can be a tight fit in a N scale tunnel!
Modelling the D.A.R.
At the DAR DPI we are big time into any D.A.R. modelling projects from N to Prototype! If you need some serious prototype information or have some you wish to share, please visit the DAR DPI at http://dardpi.ca
Plaster Trains are a subject we are just starting to explore. There one good forum thread on prototype operations and a specific article on the wiki on them:
http://dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?title=Gypsum_Trains#1891_to_1947
http://dardpi.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28
Hope that helps wet your whistle for more on the D.A.R.!
Rockeiro, while I do see a
Rockeiro, while I do see a vague connection between the content of your post and Michael's Windsor Gypsum Railway I am not sure this is the correct place for your post.
You are basically promoting your own site and have nothing of any substance to say about the overall content of this thread! Promoting your own site is fine but it really belongs elsewhere. Maybe in your own blog or one of the forums under Prototype Research? And there is absolutely no reason you should not reference this blog entry with a link if you see fit.
Why don't you repost it elsewhere and then we'll delete these two posts? I could do it for you but I think it would be better if you do it; especially in case you want to adjust the wording or structure.
So far as the DAR goes, I spent a number of years in Nova Scotia and am quite familiar with it! Also, I wonder just how many people know what DPI stands for?
W&HRR was part of DAR
Actually, the W&HRR runs on part of what was the DAR (Dominion Atlantic Railway) up until only 20 years ago, so the DAR Wiki post is quite topical if you're researching the W&HRR. :D
-mike
Mike, so what are you
Mike, so what are you saying? If Rockerio's post belongs here then so be it.
It just seems to me that his/her post belongs in its own arena!